


An Unlikely Angel

by thatnerdemryn



Series: Tumblr Prompts [32]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Actual Angel Clary Fray, Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Post-it Notes, Secret Messages, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:56:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23255062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatnerdemryn/pseuds/thatnerdemryn
Summary: After that, he couldn’t begin to guess who was leaving the notes. He tried, he really tried. He spent hours searching for whoever was leaving the small acts of kindness whenever he seemed to need them the most.
Relationships: Clary Fray & Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Tumblr Prompts [32]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1359466
Comments: 42
Kudos: 205
Collections: Shadowhunters Fic-A-Thon 2020





	An Unlikely Angel

Clary tried to drown out the voices. It was like every single thought was leaving others minds and bouncing around inside her skull. Magnus gave her something to ease the headache and was attempting to find a cure for whatever magical annoyance caused it, but she could still hear everyone's innermost thoughts. 

Including, but not limited to: the shadowhunters that looked her up and down and vividly described what they would do to her, Jace’s constant internal self complementing, Simon’s rambling thoughts of comic book ideas and why Captain America should have never been able to pick up Mjölnir, and Izzy’s repetitive death threats to the shadowhunters that looked _her_ up and down. 

She snuck into Alec’s office for a little peace and quiet, sitting in one of his chairs and holding her hands over her ears, anything to drown out the noise. She still heard the door click and watched it open. In a panic, she jumped behind the chair and hid, pulling her knees up to her chest and holding her breath. 

_I really can’t count on you to make this family proud, can I, Alec?_

_A warlock? That’s who you choose to, to, whatever two men do together._

_No one will catch us if we sneak out, just this once, Alec. Please, for me?_

_I will not ask again._

Clary chanced a glance around the chair and saw Alec with his head in his hands, not dissimilar to how she had been sitting moments before. With the luck she was having, she shouldn’t have been surprised that Alec chose that second to glance up, his eyes flaring with anger when he saw her. 

“What are you doing in here?” Alec shouted. Clary stood up quickly and inhaled deeply, ready to make up some excuse. Alec shook his head and walked to the door, opening it and waving his hand. “Just, get out, Clary. Go find trouble somewhere else before it inevitably finds you here,” Alec said dejectedly. Clary nodded and made her way to the door. She couldn’t stop herself from resting a hand on his arm before she left. 

“You’re going to be a great Institute Head some day, Alec. I hope you know that,” Clary said, her voice soft as if afraid to break him. Alec just glared, something Clary was used to and expecting, as she finally walked into the hallway. Before the door shut, she heard one last thought. 

_It’ll be a miracle if the Clave ever lets you run an Institute, Alec._

* * *

Alec found the first note hidden in the second drawer of his desk, one he thought he had locked. He stared at it blankly, the white of the paper almost glowing in the darkness of the drawer. 

_The Institute is lucky to have you._

He had to admit that the note made him smile, even though he didn’t quite believe it. After that, he couldn’t begin to guess who was leaving the notes. He tried, he really tried. He spent hours searching for whoever was leaving the small acts of kindness whenever he seemed to need them the most. He thought it might have been Izzy when he read the second one that was hidden under his pillow. It made him blush with every word. 

_One day, you won’t be ashamed of who’s in your bed._

Alec looked forward to the notes from then, a guessing game that kept his mind off of the circling negative thoughts in his brain. He would search around his office, his bedroom, even the bathroom. He found the third in the training room and he thought it had to be Jace. 

_Don’t forget to wrap your hands!_

But when he didn’t know who to turn to, his parabatai missing, his sister consorting with downworlders, he found another note, this time with a picture attached. It was one of him and Magnus, Magnus leaning against him after he had healed Luke. He thought it was impossible to have been taken, but there it was, as clear as a memory in front of him. 

_He’ll drop everything to help you. Don’t be afraid to ask._

He spent most of his nights up entirely too late, unable to think about the notes, let alone guess who was leaving them. He had too many things on his mind and too many problems to solve. His eyes were sore from reading reports and staring at the screens in the ops center, the headache so prominent that he wasn’t sure the pain would ever go away. When he finally wandered to his room, he found a note attached to a bottle of Aleve. He felt his headache alleviate just at the sight of it. 

_A good night's rest helps._

He rolled his eyes at it, but took the Aleve just the same. A few days later, when he fell asleep, head in his arms at his desk, he woke up to a sticky note on his forehead. 

_I SAID A GOOD NIGHT’S REST HELPS._

He found himself comforted by the notes. For days, weeks, months. Even in the darkest of times, they were there, a beacon of hope in chicken scratch. They were there even as he sorted through numerous complaints from the Clave. His name was highlighted in red on all of them, blaming him for all of the wrongdoings of an Institute he barely had control of. 

_You are good enough._

_It’s not your fault._

_You are doing what’s best._

_Trust your gut._

If anyone saw him wipe his tears after the reassurances, he would deny it. Adamantly. After a while, the notes seemed to stop. They faded out with every day, but he realized that he didn’t need them any more. He had his family on his team, his parents in his corner. He had Magnus in his bed, at his side, anywhere he needed him. He didn’t need the notes anymore. 

The last one came as he opened the second drawer in his desk, expecting to see the family ring, the one he asked his mother for a few days prior. Instead, he saw the glowing white of the paper and he felt his stomach knot at the sight. 

_Magnus is going to be the luckiest man on earth (and in between) with a husband like you._

He felt a sense of finality when he shut the drawer and when he looked up, he saw Clary leaning in the doorway, a soft smile on her face, her arms crossed over her chest. He scrawled out a ‘thank you’ on a scrap piece of paper and walked up to her, placing it in her hand before pressing a kiss to her forehead. They smiled at each other, both of them thankful for what had formed into a friendship over that last few months. But really, Alec felt grateful to have a guardian angel like her. 

**Author's Note:**

> This... is officially one of my favorite things I've ever written. I really hope you all like it as much as I do. 
> 
> I will be opening up my [Tumblr](https://archeryandeyeliner.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thatnerdemilyj/) to fluffy prompts like this one for the foreseeable future. 
> 
> If your looking to scream about Malec and don't know where to go, come join a super fun [Discord](https://discord.gg/8Q8yBVg)!
> 
> Kudos make me smile and comments make me weep, so please leave them!


End file.
